Biotech Startup uBiome: Crowdsourcing the Human Microbiome

We are not alone. When we are alone, we are never alone. This isn’t in the universal sense; there might be sentient life out there but I’m talking in the personal sense. When we are alone, by ourselves, we are not alone. Our bodies, the human body, are covered in symbiotic and complementary organisms. Let us forget about all the microscopic critters living in our hair follicles and focus on the bacteria instead. That’s what uBiome is focusing on as they map the human microbiome.

Whether we want to admit it or not, no matter how “icky” some of us find it to be, bacteria in our bodies actually protects us. Not all bacteria, of course, but a good lot of it. For some this is common knowledge, for others this is a constant revelation as they are reminded of that fact by their doctors in certain situations. In fact, bacterial cells outnumber human cells ten to one in the body. This community of bacterial genes and human cells is known as the microbiome, and offers up many secrets of the human body and how it operates.

The startup uBiome is crowdsourcing the sequencing and mapping of the human microbiome. This biotech out of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) is looking to work with citizen scientists in this era of personalized medicine by given them access to the latest high-throughput metagenomic sequencing technology. The question is, will people want or even consider wanting access to that kind of information, or know what to do with it? Frankly, in this age of constant trivial information, I’d presume yes.

Said uBiome CEO and co-founder Jessica Richman via press release, “We believe the biological information era is going to follow the same trend that the internet did. When citizens became empowered to explore the internet via search engines like Google, usage skyrocketed. With uBiome, people can explore their personal metagenome from home. This unparalleled access to the latest science is going to change things in a big way.”

Recently, the Human Microbiome Project brought the case of good bacteria to light. 200 scientists at 80 institutions over five years sequenced the genetic material of bacteria that was taken from 250 healthy people. What they found was close to a thousand bacterial strains on each person, and more important to uBiome and their mission, that each persons collection of microbes – their microbiome – was different from the next. Even better was the discovery of disease-causing bacteria, which was just harmlessly hanging out with the good bacteria.

This type of study related to the human microbiome can reveal a number of interesting data points. It can show how different people react differently to certain drugs, why some people seem to never get sick and other are susceptible to disease. These microbiomes also contribute to chronic problems like IBS and asthma in the sense that something is wrong with the functioning bacteria. Understanding the microbiome and being able to manipulate it could provide cures for these and other ailments.

uBiome is looking to take the next leap in sequencing the human microbiome. Where the Human Microbiome Project sequenced around 250 people, uBiome is looking for a sample size in the thousands. In order to both gather this sample size and raise the appropriate funding (as they are not federally funded) uBiome is running an Indiegogo campaign. At a certain donation level, contributors will be able to be sequenced and have future access to personal analysis tools and data that they can anonymously compare with the rest of the crowd and current research. For the record, uBiome is HIPAA compliant and will not release personal identifying data to anyone.

“Our initial goal is to sequence 1,000 peoples’ microbiomes. That will pave the way for more directed research. Eventually we hope to sequence tens of thousands and make our research findings available to physicians. We also want to allow our citizen scientists to begin asking their own research questions by submitting confidential questionnaires to our user groups. Our scientific advisory board will serve as curators of the uBiome dataset and provide guidance to our citizen scientists. We envision a research commons,” said science advisor, co-founder, and UC Berkeley independent investigator and Bowes Fellow, Will Ludington, PhD.

This study of our wonderful bacteria that keeps us from dissolving into piles of mush (I’m speculating on that) is the next evolutionary step in how we study anything scientific. uBiome is setting out to prove that crowdsourcing science will deliver results just as good as, if not better than, government funding. Consider the Audubon Society and SETI: both organizations rely on the input and hardware of citizen scientists to keep their data up to date. uBiome is working similarly to that, but just throwing in cutting edge research tools and biomedical research.

The microbiome isn’t just some thing that is interesting; furthering this kind of research outside of the heavy pockets of the government and lobbyists is a positive development. The human microbiome has been linked to autism, depression, and anxiety as well as many gut disorders, eczema, and chronic sinusitis. Unlike gene therapy as a medical solution for some genetic disorders, manipulating the microbiome is a bit easier, through solutions such as simply introducing healthful probiotic cultures into the system.

Regardless of how wary you are about the science, or about the amount of bacteria in your body that you can’t see in the mirror (all of it), CSO and co-founder Zachary Apte, PhD. reiterates that uBiome is out to move this research forward with the help of bio-interested citizen scientists. “Two hundred people is just a handful. We have two aims with uBiome. First, we want to make the science and the technology available to everyone. Now anyone can have their microbiome sequenced. Second, we want to curate the world’s largest microbiome dataset. Citizen science is the answer. If you’d told me even five years ago that high throughput sequencing technology would be in the hands of citizen scientists, I would have told you that you’d been watching way too many science fiction movies. Today, uBiome makes this dream a reality.”

When he's not wrestling gators for rights to the swamp down in Florida, Curtis is slamming away on the computer, a true captain of industry. Modeled after the legendary folk heroes of yore, Curtis stands tall, carries a big stick and often swings it. Aside from contributing to GeekDad, he's also a Brand Ambassador for Gunnar Optiks, Co-Executive Editor at Technorati.com, Contributor at Medium.com and writer of a delusional travel blog called Heathens of the Plains. He can be reached by holding out your hands in a non threatening manner, or pretty much always on Twitter @cebsilver or ego tripping on Facebook